again and again (and again) i forget the magic of sitting under a tree at the lake, wind wilding my hair this way, then that the old man walking his tired old dog the young marine stretching after a run (in this heat!) does he take his health for granted the way so many of […]

379 hours from now we will be standing before God, nature, family & dear friends making vows meant to last forever or, you know, until we die and return again to dust 379 hours… …till my daughter walks me down the aisle and becomes your daughter too (family now). 379 hours… …till I vow to […]

Planning our wedding has proven to be harder, more confusing/overhwelming and more exciting than I’d expected. It’s been offering us up chance upon chance upon chance for growth – both personally and as a couple. Lots of good hard work. I’m glad we’re such a kick-ass team. This would be isolating and depressing if I […]

Aristotle was saying, ‘Stop hoping for happiness tomorrow. Happiness is being engaged in the process.’ This means that engaging in meaningful (to you) projects is a pathway to happiness and purpose. It doesn’t matter what they are, as long as they are meaningful to you. Do you have projects that bring meaning and joy to […]

Recently I’ve spent a lot of needed spoons to get my kitchen re-organized and prettied up because being comfortable and able to relax and connect w/ my family in that space brings a lot of meaning into my life. Pretty spaces that are clean and easy to function in bring me joy. Being able to […]

A morning at work. An afternoon at the movies with my 16 year old. Now… Returning home, a cooling shower, glass of wine and in bare feet I found my way to the studio. The wind chimes, a welcome-to-your-studio gift from my fiance, sing to my soul. He hung them just outside the window as […]

I am happy… so, so peacefully & truly happy… For someone with a lifetime of trauma this is oddly taxing in a painful sort of waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop kinda way. A few months ago we attended a talk called The Price of Admission by Dr. Laura Brown about the effects growing up with “less than adequate parents” […]

Waiting. I’m sitting in the car, waiting for my daughter (who, by the way, is somehow about to turn 17 already. I have NO idea how that is already happening!). In the back of the car sits more paint for the studio. I’ll have a snack and get to it when I get home – […]

Spent the afternoon painting the exterior and interior of the studio. Well, most of the interior before I ran out of paint. This is the second time I’ve misjudged how much paint I needed for this project. I think if I manage to screw it up a third time I should get some sort of […]

We live out in the county. Gun fire out here isn’t unusual – neighbors shooting off rounds for target practice on their land. But the bombardment of fireworks last night was intense, even for out here. I kept thinking of our vets and ptsd an dhow selfish its feels to me to light off fireworks […]